The yet to be built Interstate 890 took a similar route, but ended up in a large traffic circle at Erie Boulevard in the 1947 Proposed Downtown Arterial Routes study. The Route 50 Connection also was never built, with most traffic continuing to use the Great Western Gateway Bridge or Freeman's Bridge.
The idea of a Rotterdam–Glenville connector across the Mohawk River was proposed as early as the 1960s. Parts of the right-of-way of NY 890, including the bridges carrying what is now NY 890 over the ramp leading from NY 890 west to NY 5S, were built as part of I-890's construction in 1973. Construction of the remainder of the route was delayed for decades due to a lack of funds. Work on the highway finally resumed in 1996, and the length of NY 890 was opened to traffic in October 1998. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Route_890
Schenectady, like many Upstate Cities, has seen a change of it's fortunes, with year after year population declines slowing then stopping, with more people moving to the city during the early years of the 21st century after recent declines in crime and pollution.
